Sub-committee Goals

1. Collaborate with state and local tourism partners to market Grand Strand tourism opportunities to a diversity of tourism markets and demographics.

2. Convene a tourism alliance composed of private sector tourism interests to work with state and local public service entities to promote the tourism industry.

3. Create a tourism master plan that focuses new product development, tourism market diversification, collaborative marketing, tourism asset sustainability, and tourism cluster expansion.

4. Work with educational institutions to establish a tourism-enterprise incubator that fosters innovation, new product development, and job creation opportunities in the local tourism market.

5. Expand tourism season to target to cover the entire year with a diversity of tourism program and product offerings.

6. Work with inland tourism markets to protect and promote the County’s numerous natural, cultural and historic resources as tourism assets.

7. Accommodate all convention related business travel through the expansion of current tourism infrastructure and development of new conference capacity.

Thanks to everyone who was able to participate in our most recent strategic plan meeting held at CCU. Most groups suggested that some work remained before they were ready to establish goal sets for their focus area. We would like to encourage each group to establish a spokesperson who will be responsible for organizing, documenting, and reporting the remaining information that is developed within the groups.

Lots of good information was developed through the “mind-mapping exercise”, but I’m not certain that the process was as clear as it could have been.The purpose of the exercise was to think about the goals (outcomes) that we desire for each focus area and then to in effect work backwards in order to indentify projects (outputs),actions (inputs) and resources (assets) available to make those goals a reality. For the time being are most concerned about the “outcome” desired. It is from these outcomes that we will derive a clear direction for the research that is needed to create informed strategies.

Accordingly we ask that each sub-committee develop not only a set of goals related to their particular focus area, but also two or three questions that may be answered in through limited applied research. Clemson and CCU will partner to employ graduate level assistants to complete such research. We would like to get these students started no later than the middle of May.

It may be possible to take the notes (select "mind-map notes" to the right) that have been developed from last meetings exercise and add to them in a way that results in the above mentioned goal statement and questions. Some of you have already been in touch with one another concerning the sub-committee. If anyone needs my assistance setting up a sub-committee group meeting in the interim, please let me know.